Digital zoom conferencing

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatuses, and techniques for security and/or automation systems are described. In one embodiment, the method including identifying a presence of a first person at a first location, capturing a first video related to the first person at the first location, and initiating an adjustment of a display of the first video based at least in part on identifying the presence of the first person.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/001,998, filed Jan. 20, 2016, titled “Digital Zoom Conferencing,”which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/575,830, filed Dec. 18, 2014, titled “Doorbell Camera PackageDetection,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to security and/or automation systems,and more specifically to methods and systems related to digital zoomconferencing. Security and automation systems are widely deployed toprovide various types of communication and functional features such asmonitoring, communication, notification, and/or others. These systemsmay be capable of supporting communication with a user through acommunication connection or a system management action.

Current video conferencing systems require manual adjustment of thecamera based on what is happening in the room. For example, if multiplepeople are going to speak in a room, the camera may be set to captureall of the participants, regardless of whether some of them are notspeaking. This can make it difficult to concentrate on and see thespeaker.

SUMMARY

The systems and methods described herein relate generally to audioand/or video calls, and in some cases are related to cameras locatedinside a building and, more specifically, inside an interior room of ahome. The camera may be enabled to use digital and/or optical zoomtechniques, as well as caller identification techniques (among others)to improve video conferencing.

In one embodiment, a method for automation and/or security is described.The method may include identifying a presence of a first person at afirst location, capturing a first video related to the first person atthe first location, and/or initiating an adjustment of a display of thefirst video based at least in part on identifying the presence of thefirst person.

In one embodiment, an apparatus for automation and/or security isdescribed. The apparatus may include a processor, memory in electroniccommunication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory,the instructions causing the processor to identify a presence of a firstperson at a first location, capture a first video related to the firstperson at the first location, and/or initiate an adjustment of a displayof the first video based at least in part on identifying the presence ofthe first person.

In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium isdescribed. The non-transitory computer-readable medium stores code, thecode comprising instructions executable to identify a presence of afirst person at a first location, capture a first video related to thefirst person at the first location, and initiate an adjustment of adisplay of the first video based at least in part on identifying thepresence of the first person. In some embodiments, the first locationmay be located within an indoor room. In some embodiments, the firstvideo may be captured upon determining the first person is creating anaudible noise.

In some embodiments, the method, apparatus, and non-transitory mediummay adjust the display of the first video during a video call. Theadjustment may further include adjusting a digital and/or optical zoomlevel of the first video such that an image of the first person mayinclude a pre-determined percentage of an area of the display. Thedigital and/or optical zoom level may involve scaling the image of thefirst person using an interpolation algorithm. Adjusting the display mayfurther involve receiving data indicating a quality of the image dataand initiating an adjustment of the quality of the image.

In some embodiments, the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may further describe comparing a first portionof the image data and a second portion of the image data, determiningthat a section of the image data is backlit based at least in part onthe comparing, wherein initiating the adjustment comprises adjusting afocus on the first person based at least in part on the determining thesection of the image data is backlit.

In some embodiments, the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may further identify the presence of a secondperson at a second location. The second location may be a differentlocation within the same indoor room as the first person. It may furtherbe determined the first person and/or the second person are creating anaudible noise, and the display of the first video may be adjusted toinclude the first person and/or the second person. In some embodiments,the display of the first video may be adjusted to include an image ofthe second person alone upon determining the second person is creatingan audible noise. In some embodiments, the display of the first and/orsecond person is based on a user preference.

In some embodiments, the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may further identify the first person and/orthe second person based at least in part on the first video, whereidentification may be based at least in part on comparing biometric databetween the first person and/or second person and/or user profiles.

In some embodiments, the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may further include tracking a movement of thefirst person within a room, and capture the movement of the first personas at least part of the first video.

In other embodiments, the systems and methods described herein relate tocamera package detection, and in some cases are related to externalcameras (e.g., doorbell cameras). A camera may be used to capture one ormore images of a premises. Image analysis may be performed on the one ormore captured images to identify the presence of an object. The objectmay be identified as a package based at least in part on the imageanalysis. Upon identifying the object as a package, the systems andmethods may monitor the package for unauthorized interaction.

In one embodiment, the method may include identifying image data from asignal, analyzing the image data based at least in part on a firstparameter, identifying a presence of an object based at least in part onthe analyzing, and detecting an object event based at least in part onthe identifying. The image data may include a first set of image dataand a second set of image data, the second set of image data beingcaptured after the first set of image data. The first parameter mayinclude image analysis data to detect at least one of shape, color,texture, material, and reflectivity of the image data. The image datamay include at least one of photo data and video data, motion detectiondata based at least in part on a motion of the object, and/or facialrecognition data.

In some embodiments, analyzing the image data may include comparing atleast a portion of an earlier set of image data with at least a portionof a later set of image data. Additionally, or alternatively, analyzingthe image data may include analyzing at least one subset of the imagedata. In some cases, the method may include sending a notification to auser based at least in part on the assessing. In some cases, anotification may be sent to a user based at least in part on whether aprobability of the object event exceeds a predetermined probabilitythreshold.

In some embodiments, analyzing the image data may be based at least inpart on a second parameter. Accordingly, the method may includeanalyzing a first parameter and analyzing a second parameter in relationto the analysis of the first parameter. In some cases, assessing theprobability of the object event may include assessing a firstprobability of the object event based at least in part on analyzing theimage data based at least in part on the first parameter, and assessinga second probability of the object event based at least in part onanalyzing the image data based at least in part on the second parameter.

A computing device configured for doorbell camera package detection isalso described. The computing device may include a processor and memoryin electronic communication with the processor. The memory may storecomputer executable instructions that when executed by the processorcause the processor to perform the steps of identifying image data froma signal, analyzing the image data based at least in part on a firstparameter, identifying a presence of an object based at least in part onthe analyzing, and detecting an object event based at least in part onthe identifying.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computerexecutable instructions is also described. When the instructions areexecuted by a processor, the execution of the instructions may cause theprocessor to perform the steps of identifying image data from a signal,analyzing the image data based at least in part on a first parameter,identifying a presence of an object based at least in part on theanalyzing, and detecting an object event based at least in part on theidentifying.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to this disclosure so that thefollowing detailed description may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described below. The conception andspecific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein—including their organization and method ofoperation—together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose ofillustration and description only, and not as a definition of the limitsof the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following a first reference label with a dash and asecond label that may distinguish among the similar components. However,features discussed for various components—including those having a dashand a second reference label—apply to other similar components. If onlythe first reference label is used in the specification, the descriptionis applicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram relating to an automation and/or securitysystem in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a device relating to an automationand/or security system in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a device relating to an automationand/or security system in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 4A shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 4B shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 4C shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 5A shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 5B shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 5C shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 5D shows an example perspective view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 6A shows an example overhead view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 6B shows an example overhead view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 6C shows an example overhead view of a video call related to anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a computer system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for aautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for aautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a device relating to an automationand/or security system in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a device relating to a security and/oran automation system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 12 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for aautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 13 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for aautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure; and

FIG. 14 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for aautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems, methods, and techniques described herein relate toidentifying one or more people in a location and adjusting a video callto improve video call functionality and/or user experience. Based onidentification of specific people, environmental elements (e.g., sound,light, infrared, vibrations, spatial considerations, etc.), and/or userpreferences, a device (e.g., an audio/visual device, a camera coupled toa microphone) may adjust the video to enhance the call. In someembodiments, the device may be a stand-alone device that includes acouple, a speaker, and/or a microphone and may perform one or morecommunications of various types. In some embodiments, the device mayinitiate one or more adjustments and/or other operations. In otherembodiments, the device may receive one or more initiated adjustmentsand/or operations from another component and/or element.

In other embodiments, the problems solved by the systems and methodsdescribed herein include recognizing when certain packages are deliveredand/or picked up and identifying information related to the package.Current package delivery/pick-up services are not secure and relatedpackage delivery methods include problems such as impropernotifications, delayed notifications, theft, and/or failing to notifythe user about information related to one or more delivered/picked-uppackages (e.g., delivery person, size of the package, timeliness, etc.).

The systems and methods solve these and other problems by using specificvisual parameters for detecting information related to packages. In someembodiments, the systems and methods may provide a notification based atleast in part on one or more probabilities that may be based at least inpart on information related to package delivery/pick-up.

Some embodiments relate to systems, methods, and related devices fordetecting information related to one or more packages that are deliveredand/or picked up, specifically related to security/home automationsystems.

The present systems and methods use computer vision technology (based ona camera) to detect information related to packages, includingdetecting: a package, a person carrying a package, characteristicsrelated to a person carrying a package (e.g., facial features, uniform,vehicle, etc.), environmental information (e.g., light, weather, etc.),and/or other information.

In some embodiments, the system may detect information about a packageincluding shape, size, color, labeling, material, etc. This may be basedat least in part on algorithms related to: image processing techniques,edge detection, segmentation, shape detection, deformable part models,figure detection, background subtraction, object detection, and/or otherinformation. In some embodiments, the detection may occur when a personis walking toward and/or away from an area (e.g., a front door) and/orwhen a package is left at an area.

The detection may be based on information that the system collects overtime. This information may include general parameters, parametersspecific to a structure, and/or may be based on one or more relatedareas. For example, the system may perform detection related to a nearbyarea in view—such as a front porch. The system may learn and/or storedata (image, video, etc.) specific to the porch area and then perform acomparison of one piece of porch data (like a picture or a video takenon Nov. 1, 2014 with another piece of porch data (like a picture or avideo taken on Nov. 5, 2014) to identify the presence or absence of apackage. This learning may occur through image and/or video capturingover a period of time and then the system may compare one or morecaptured data points with one or more other captured data points. Insome embodiments, after some data is captured, the later captured datamay include motion-triggered capturing events (i.e., when motion occurs,the system then captures an image and/or a video and can then compare itto the early data set). The system may compare learned data (stored in adevice, in a panel, and/or through a wireless cloud network, etc.) withthe motion-triggered data.

The system may learn and/or store data relating to (as examples)lighting, texture, reflectivity, color, materials (stone, stucco,cardboard), shape, motion (street traffic, sidewalk traffic, etc.),behavioral patterns, and/or weather, etc. In some embodiments, thislearning and/or storing of data may be specific to a structure or ascenario. For example, the system may analyze certain data based onfacing a street (having constant movement via traffic), a wooded area(tree movement from wind), lighting conditions (with a western facinghome), etc.

In some embodiments, along with the comparison based on the data, thedetection may include examining movement related to a package. Forexample, by comparing porch data, the system may detect a package and itmay look at other data indicating motion near the porch or businessentrance (e.g., based on timing, proximity motion detection data, etc.)and use this data to aid in detection. The system may also analyze aperson's clothing, logo, nametags, clipboards, facial features, and/ormannerisms (gait, posture, etc.).

In some embodiments, using the other additional data may increase aprobability and/or a confidence level assessed. For example, identifyinga package's presence based on image and/or video data of an area mayyield a first probability and/or confidence level. Then, based onadditional comparisons, calculations, analysis, identifications, and/oractions, the probability and/or confidence level may increase, stay thesame, and/or decrease. For example, the probability may increase basedat least in part on motion detection data, person detection data,clothing detection data, shape detection data, and/or uniform detectiondata, etc.

Based on a package detection, a system may provide a notification to auser and/or to a deliverer. A notification that a package has beendelivered, picked up, and/or moved from a location (based at least inpart on a probability and/or confidence level) may be sent to a user viatext, email, social media, phone call, push notifications, and/orvoicemail, etc. In addition, a notification to a user and/or to adeliverer may be based on environmental (e.g., inclement weather) and/orother factors, which may dictate the type of notification and/orinfluence the probability threshold for a notification (i.e., lower thethreshold for any notification or a specific type of notification basedon inclement weather).

The system may also help with theft prevention by notifying a user abouta package and/or whether another person is approaching a door beforeand/or after a package has been delivered and/or picked up. In someembodiments, the system may capture detection data related to movementand/or other parameters to assist in determining probabilities relatedto preventing theft. In addition, in some cases, the system may alsosound a visual and/or an audible alarm in response to certain analysis,data, identification, probabilities, and/or object events at leastrelated to a potential theft. In addition, a notification to a deliveryperson may also be provided. For example, based on identifying that apackage is delivered, the system may tell the delivery person to leavethe package in a certain location (under a cover based on weather, in agarage, at a side door, with a receptionist, etc.) and/or provideadditional instruction.

The following description provides examples and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, and/or examples set forth in the claims. Changesmay be made in the function and/or arrangement of elements discussedwithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples mayomit, substitute, and/or add various procedures and/or components asappropriate. For instance, the methods described may be performed in anorder different from that described, and/or various steps may be added,omitted, modified, and/or combined. Also, features described withrespect to some examples may be added, omitted, modified, and/orcombined in other examples.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communications system 100 inaccordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The communicationssystem 100 may include control panels 105, devices 115, and/or a network130. The network 130 may provide user authentication, encryption, accessauthorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and otheraccess, calculation, modification, and/or functions. The control panels105 may interface with the network 130 through wired and/or wirelesscommunication links 132 and may perform communication configuration,adjustment, and/or scheduling for communication with the devices 115, ormay operate under the control of a controller. In various examples, thecontrol panels 105 may communicate—either directly or indirectly (e.g.,through network 130)—with each other over wired and/or wirelesscommunication links 134. Control panels 105 may communicate with a backend server—directly and/or indirectly—using one or more communicationlinks.

The control panels 105 may wirelessly communicate with the devices 115via one or more antennas. For example, the control panels 105 maycommunicate wirelessly with one or more cameras such as securitycameras, doorbell cameras, etc. Each of the control panels 105 mayprovide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area110. In some examples, control panels 105 may be referred to as acontrol device, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, anaccess point, a radio transceiver, or some other suitable terminology.The geographic coverage area 110 for a control panel 105 may be dividedinto sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area. Thecommunications system 100 may include control panels 105 of differenttypes. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 for one ormore different parameters, including different technologies, features,subscriber preferences, hardware, software, technology, and/or methods.For example, each control panel 105 may be related to one or morediscrete structures (e.g., a home, a business) and each of the one morediscrete structures may be related to one or more discrete areas. Inother examples, multiple control panels 105 may be related to the sameone or more discrete structures (e.g., multiple control panels relatingto a home and/or a business complex).

The devices 115 are dispersed throughout the communications system 100and each device 115 may be stationary and/or mobile. A device 115 mayinclude a security camera, a doorbell camera, a cellular phone, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wirelesscommunication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, adisplay device (e.g., TVs, computer monitors, etc.), a printer, asensor, and/or the like. A device 115 may also include or be referred toby those skilled in the art as a user device, a sensor, a smartphone, aBLUETOOTH® device, a Wi-Fi device, a mobile station, a subscriberstation, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remoteunit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communicationsdevice, a remote device, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, awireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobileclient, a client, a camera, and/or some other suitable terminology. Adevice 115 may include and/or be one or more sensors that sense:proximity, motion, temperatures, humidity, sound level, smoke,structural features (e.g., glass breaking, window position, doorposition), time, geo-location data of a user and/or a device, distance,biometrics, weight, speed, height, size, preferences, light, darkness,weather, time, system performance, and/or other inputs that relate to asecurity and/or an automation system. A device 115 may be able tocommunicate through one or more wired and/or wireless connections withvarious components such as control panels, base stations, and/or networkequipment (e.g., servers, wireless communication points, etc.) and/orthe like.

The communication links 125 shown in communications system 100 mayinclude uplink (UL) transmissions from a device 115 to a control panel105, and/or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a control panel 105 to adevice 115. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward linktransmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverselink transmissions. Each communication link 125 may include one or morecarriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiplesub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulatedaccording to the various radio technologies. Each modulated signal maybe sent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information(e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information,user data, etc. The communication links 125 may transmit bidirectionalcommunications and/or unidirectional communications. Communication links125 may include one or more connections, including but not limited to,345 MHz, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH®, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy, cellular, Z-WAVE®,802.11, peer-to-peer, LAN, WLAN, Ethernet, fire wire, fiber optic,and/or other connection types related to security and/or automationsystems.

In some embodiments, of communications system 100, control panels 105and/or devices 115 may include one or more antennas for employingantenna diversity schemes to improve communication quality andreliability between control panels 105 and devices 115. Additionally oralternatively, control panels 105 and/or devices 115 may employmultiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) techniques that may takeadvantage of multi-path, mesh-type environments to transmit multiplespatial layers carrying the same or different coded data.

While the devices 115 may communicate with each other through thecontrol panel 105 using communication links 125, each device 115 mayalso communicate directly with one or more other devices via one or moredirect communication links 134. Two or more devices 115 may communicatevia a direct communication link 134 when both devices 115 are in thegeographic coverage area 110 or when one or neither devices 115 iswithin the geographic coverage area 110. Examples of directcommunication links 134 may include Wi-Fi Direct, BLUETOOTH®, wired,and/or, and other P2P group connections. The devices 115 in theseexamples may communicate according to the WLAN radio and basebandprotocol including physical and MAC layers from IEEE 802.11, and itsvarious versions including, but not limited to, 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, etc. In otherimplementations, other peer-to-peer connections and/or ad hoc networksmay be implemented within communications system 100.

The communications system 100 may be configured to monitor an areaoutside a door of a home or business and/or configured to monitor one ormore indoor rooms and/or areas. In conjunction with the control panels105, devices 115, network 130, and communication links 125 and/or 134,the communications system 100 may be configured to identify the presenceof one or more people in a location (such as a conference room or aliving room) and adjust elements associated with a video call and/orvideo recording.

In some embodiments, the communications system 100 may be configured tomonitor an area outside a door of a home or business. In conjunctionwith the control panels 105, devices 115, network 130, and communicationlinks 125 and/or 134, the communications system 100 may be configured todetect a package at the area outside the door of the home or business.For example, a doorbell camera may be configured to capture one more ormore images of the area, and based on the captured one or more images,the communications system 100 may detect a package being delivered tothe area, being taken from the area, left at the area, etc. In somecases, the control panels 105 and/or devices 115 may perform imageanalysis on the one or more captured images to identify the presence ofan object, and based on the image analysis, may identify the object as apackage. Upon identifying the object as a package, one or more elementsof the communications system 100 may be configured to monitor thepackage to detect events related to the package such as a persondetected within view of the package, delivery of the package, pickup ofthe package, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram 200 of an apparatus 205 for use inelectronic communication, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure. In one embodiment, the apparatus 205 may be an example ofone or more aspects of a control panel 105 described with reference toFIG. 1. In some embodiments, apparatus 205 may be an example of acamera, as illustrated by device 115.

The apparatus 205 may include a receiver module 210, a conference module215, and/or a transmitter module 220. The apparatus 205 may also includea processor. Each of these modules may be in communication with oneanother—directly and/or indirectly.

The components of the apparatus 205 may, individually or collectively,be implemented using one or more application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicablefunctions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed byone or more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integratedcircuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may beused (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), and other Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in anymanner known in the art. The functions of each module may also beimplemented—in whole or in part—with instructions embodied in memoryformatted to be executed by one or more general and/orapplication-specific processors.

The receiver module 210 may receive information such as packets, userdata, and/or control information associated with various informationchannels (e.g., control channels, data channels, etc.). The receivermodule 210 may be configured to receive data and/or control informationfrom another device such as a control panel, sensor, and/or a camera.Information may be passed on to the conference module 215, and to othercomponents of the apparatus 205.

Conference module 215 enables enhanced video calls and/or audio and/orvideo recordings in some embodiments. Upon receiving one or more imagesand/or videos at the receiver module 210, conference module 215 performsimage analysis based at least in part on the one or more images and/orvideos to detect a person, a package and/or other item or feature. Forexample, upon detecting the presence of a person in a room, conferencemodule may initiate a conference call (e.g., video call, VoIP call,audio call) and/or start recording audio and/or images which may bestored in memory for later retrieval. In another example, upon detectinga package and/or other feature (e.g., a bar code on a label on apackage), the conference module 215 may monitor the package anddetermines whether a person that is delivering, moving, and/or removingthe detected package is authorized to do so. The apparatus 205 mayperform various functions based on this analysis and/or determination.

The transmitter module 220 may transmit the one or more signals receivedfrom other components of the apparatus 205. The transmitter module 220may transmit data and/or controls signals to a control panel and/orsensor associated with the security and/or automation system. The dataand/or control signals transmitted by the transmitter module 220 may beassociated with the identification, audio/video capture, audio/videotracking, and audio/video adjustments performed by the conference module215. In some examples, the transmitter module 220 may be co-located withthe receiver module 210 in a transceiver module.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram 300 of an apparatus 205-a for use in videoconferencing in accordance various aspects of this disclosure. Theapparatus 205-a may be an example of one or more aspects of a controlpanel 105 and/or a device 115 described with reference to FIG. 1.Apparatus 205-a may also be an example of an apparatus 205 describedwith reference to FIG. 2. The apparatus 205-a may include a receivermodule 210-a, a conference module 215-a, and/or a transmitter module220-a, which may be examples of the corresponding modules of apparatus205. The apparatus 205-a may also include a processor. Each of thesecomponents may be in communication with each other. The conferencemodule 215-a may include an identification module 305, a capture module310, and/or an adjustment module 315, among others. The receiver module210-a and the transmitter module 220-a may perform the functions of thereceiver module 210 and the transmitter module 220, of FIG. 2,respectively.

In one embodiment, identification module 305 may identify a presence ofat least one person in a location (e.g., an indoor room such as aconference room, an areas within a room or an area, a living room, etc.)In some embodiments, identification module 305 may identify the presenceof a second person in the same location, where in other embodiments, theidentification module 305 may identify the presence of a second personin a second location. In both cases, the first and second people areparticipating on the same conference call. As with the first person, thesystem may determine the second person is making audible sounds (e.g.,speaking, singing), and may make decisions based on such adetermination.

In additional embodiments, identification module 305 may not justidentify the presence of a person, but may identify the person'sidentity as well. For example, the identification module 305 may receiveidentifying information related to a person such as a voice print,facial recognition information, a height, a hair color and/or length, abody type and/or shape, other physical features, a fingerprint, a scanof a portion or the entire person's face, a scan of the person's retina,other biometric information, and/or some combination. In otherembodiments, a card associated with the person may be read forinformation by way of a magnetic scanner, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) chip, a quick-response (QR) code, a bar code, etc.In yet other embodiments, a personal identification number may be keyedinto a input device (e.g., touchscreen, keypad). In other embodiments, ageo-fence may be established around the location, and it may bedetermined that a portable electronic device associated with the personand crossed into or out of a geo-fenced location. Regardless of the typeof identification, the data may be compared to a user profile stored inmemory and the person may be identified. In some embodiments, identitiesmay be established based on a known user profile related to one or morelocations. For example, there may be a plurality of previously storeduser profiles which contain a variety of identifying features,authorizations, and/or preferences associated with a specific person.Thus, when a specific person is identified, the system may take anaction indicated by the person's identity. In some embodiments, one ormore distinct types of information may be received, analyzed, weighed,and/or compared to determine an identity.

In one embodiment, capture module 310 may capture a first video relatedto the person being in one or more locations. In particular, the cameramay begin recording a video once a person is identified as being in thelocation and/or may record based on identifying the identity of theperson in the location, among other factors. The video may be a wideview of the room which includes the person, or the video may be zoomedin on the person. In some embodiments, video capture may begin when oneor more system components determines that the person is speaking and/orotherwise making sound. In some embodiments, video capture may beginwhen one or more system components determines that the person is movingin the room and/or the area. In some embodiments, the capture module 310may track movement of at least one of the people in the location. Forexample, a person may walk around the room while speaking and/or maymove to a different location. In some embodiments, movement and locationmay be determined by periodically or persistently re-determiningidentification and presence as described above. For example, a room maybe divided into sections or zones, and the system may determine thepresence of and/or identification of a person in section. Thus, if aperson is identified to be located in a different section that in whichthe person was previously identified, the system knows the person hasmoved.

In one embodiment, adjustment module 315 may initiate an adjustment ofthe display and/or recording components of the video based at least inpart on identifying the presence of and/or the identity of the firstperson, among others. In some embodiments, adjustment of the video mayinclude adjusting a zoom level, a focal point of the camera (i.e., bypanning and/or tilting), a resolution, a frame rate, a white balance, again, a sensitivity (e.g., ISO), a focus, a metering, a brightness, asaturation, a contrast, one or more highlights, one or more shadows,aperture and/or f-stop settings, a vibration sensitivity, somecombination, and/or other settings. In some embodiments, the camera mayemploy a digital zoom, pan, tilt, and/or other adjustment, among otherthings. In some embodiments, this digital zoom may advantageously allowfor one or more adjustments at increased rates compared to opticalzooms, which in some instances can be limited based on motor and othermechanical-based and/or electrical-based constraints. In one exampleembodiment, the person may be facing the camera with a sunlit windowbehind him. Because the person is backlit, the camera may be adjusted tochange the focus, the brightness level, and/or other adjustments tobring the person into better view. In some embodiments, the person maymove from a dark area in the room to a backlit area, and thus the cameramay be adjusted to account for the change of environment and/or relatedconditions.

In other embodiments, the display may be adjusted based on theidentification of multiple people in at least one location. In someembodiments, the system may identify the presence of multiple people indifferent respective locations, but participating in the same conferencecall. In another embodiment, the system may comprise many cameras, suchthat a person can speak while walking through the home from room toroom, and the appropriate camera (i.e., the camera located in the roomin which the person is speaking), may activate to capture the video andtransmit it to the conference call.

In some embodiments, the adjustments may be made before recordingbegins, whereas in some embodiments, the adjustments are made at theonset of recording and/or throughout the call. For example, before aperson begins speaking, but after the person is identified as being inthe location, the camera may zoom in on the person such that theperson's torso occupies a pre-determined area of the display frame.

In some embodiments, identification, video capture, and adjustments mayall be made based on user preferences. For example, a user may indicatethat no matter who is present in a room and/or who is speaking, thecamera should always zoom in on and focus on a first person whether sheis speaking or not. In another example, the user may indicate that nomatter who is present in the room and/or who is speaking, the entireroom should be shown. In some embodiments, the user preferences may bestored as defaults. In other embodiments, a user can program the systemto take specific actions based on the identification of a person. Insome cases, even more refined preferences may be programmed by the user,such as determining if the identified person sounds distressed (e.g.,shouting or yelling), is moving from room to room, the time of day, theday of the week, in which room the person is located (e.g., differentactions may take place if the person is in a private bedroom versus aliving room), and the like. In some embodiments, specific words orevents may trigger specific events regardless of what user preferencesare stored. For example, if the system identifies the word “help” or“I'm sick” or “call Mom,” then one or more events may be triggered(including initiating a call to one or more designated contacts and/orsources). In yet other embodiments, the system may be pre-programmed toadjust the display based on which people are in the room (e.g., if twochildren are in the room, the system may always display both childrenregardless if neither, one, or both are speaking).

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show three respective perspective views of anexample video call related to an automation and/or security system inaccordance various aspects of this disclosure.

In one embodiment, FIG. 4A shows an example display frame 405 of a videocall in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure. In thisembodiment, the system has detected the presence of person 410 in alocation. For purposes of discussion, the location is a living room. Atthis point, person 410 has not begun speaking, and thus identificationof person 410 may have been by motion detection, thermal detection, anRFID tag, detection of vibration (e.g., walking, breathing), detectionof footfall sounds, detecting the sound of setting down an object, somecombination, and/or other things. In addition, the identity of person410 may be determined and identified at this point. Person 410 may beidentified by way of facial recognition, body size and shaperecognition, identification of an associated portable electronic device(e.g., smartphone) or RFID tag, fingerprint recognition at a sensorlocated near the entrance to the room, retinal identification, somecombination, and/or other factors and/or methods.

Person 410 is not centered in the display frame 405. In one embodiment,the system may be waiting to see if other people will be joining thevideo call. In another embodiment, user preferences may be establishedwhich instruct the camera to keep a wide field of view. In someembodiments, this instruction regarding the field of view may relate toa predetermined time, a predetermined picture setting, an elapsed amountof time, a lighting condition (e.g., whether the person is backlit ordark, whether a section within a wide field of view is back lit ordark), some combination, and/or other settings. Although the field ofview has not changed, the camera may make adjustments to the video byadjusting a focus, a metering, a brightness, a saturation, a contrast,one or more highlights, one or more shadows, aperture and/or f-stopsettings, a vibration sensitivity, some combination, and/or othersettings.

In FIG. 4B, person 410 begins speaking and the audible sound 415 isdetected by the system based on one or more inputs received by amicrophone and/or video recording device, among others. At this point,person 410 is still located to the right of center in the display frame405. However, now that person 410 has begun speaking, the camera mayreceive instructions to adjust the display (i.e., in real-time or basedon pre-determined preferences and instructions) and/or itself initiatean adjustment of the display. In some embodiments, the resolution, framerate, white balance, gain, sensitivity (e.g., ISO), focus, metering,brightness, saturation, contrast, highlights, shadows, aperture andf-stop settings, and/or vibration sensitivity and the like may beadjusted, among other features.

In FIG. 4C, the camera may receive instructions (i.e., in real-time orbased on pre-determined preferences and instructions) to adjust thedisplay in such a way that the person 410 is centered in the middle ofthe display frame 405, vertically, horizontally, and/or both. Inaddition, the camera may adjust the zoom level so that the image of theperson 410 (or some portion of the person, such as her face) fills alarger area of the display frame 405.

The zoom level may be adjusted by way of optical and/or digital zoommethods. In some embodiments, digital zoom is enabled by a processorcoupled to a device (e.g., such as a camera or video camera). In using adigital zoom, a portion of the image data may be electronically scaledusing interpolation algorithms. In some embodiments, the scaling may bedone so as to maintain the same aspect ratio and pixel dimensions as theoriginal image.

Thus, as shown in example FIG. 4C, the camera may zoom in on person 410by scaling the portion of the original image in a way such that person410 now occupies a larger portion of the center of the display frame405.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D show four respective perspective views of anexample video call related to an automation and/or security system inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure. In one embodiment,FIG. 5A may pick up from where FIG. 4C left off; in other words, person410 is speaking and the image of person 410 occupies a pre-determinedsection of the display frame. In FIG. 5B, the display frame 405 stillhas person 410 in the frame (e.g., perhaps person 410 is still speaking,or has paused speaking, or there is a user preference indicating person410 should remain in frame); however, the system now identifies audiblesound 505. For example, the decibel level in the room may change, achange in frequency and/or pitch may be detected, vibrational changesmay be detected, the location from which the sound is detected maychange (e.g., by way of a multi-directional microphone and/or by aplurality of microphones). In some embodiments, the camera and the sounddetection may be part of the same device. In other embodiments, thesound detection may be made by a different device and/or sensorcommunicatively coupled to the camera and/or to other components of thesystem.

In one embodiment, audible sound 505 may be another person speakingand/or the audible sound 505 may be the sound of someone entering theroom or otherwise joining in on the conversation. Thus, the system mayadjust the display frame 405 to include more of the room than shown inFIG. 5A.

In FIG. 5C, the camera has received instructions to zoom out, thusincluding both person 410 and person 510 in the display frame 405. Inthis embodiment, both people may be speaking, and thus they share spacein the display frame.

In FIG. 5D, the camera has panned over to person 510 and zoomed in onperson 510 alone. In this embodiment, person 510 may now be the onlyperson speaking, and the system has adjusted accordingly. In otherembodiments, the camera may have adjusted the settings based on userpreferences (e.g., always keep the camera on person 510 if person 510 isin the room, etc.). User preferences may include: time of day, day ofthe week, day of the year, specific actions for specific people,specific actions for each camera in a particular room, keywordsidentified, hand signals identified, specific sounds identified (e.g., afirm alarm, a doorbell, a phone ringing), etc.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C show three respective overhead views of an examplevideo call related to an automation and/or security system in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure. FIG. 6A may correspond to theexample embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, among others. Room 600 is shown inoverhead view, with person 410 located in the far left corner of theroom (away from camera 605). It may be determined that person 410 isspeaking, or that the camera should otherwise be focused on person 410.Thus, the camera is adjusted to point toward person 410 and includeperson 410 in the field of view 620. Person 410 may be located withinthe field of view 620 based on camera adjustments such as panning,tilting, zooming, and other adjustments previously discussed.

FIG. 6B may correspond to the example embodiment shown in FIG. 5C, amongothers. Room 600 is shown in overhead view, with person 410 located inthe far left corner of the room and person 510 located in the far rightcorner of the room. It may be determined that the camera should includeboth person 410 and person 510 within field of view 620, and thus thecamera may zoom out so as to include an image of both people. Otheradjustments, as previously discussed and/or in addition to thosediscussed, may be made as well.

FIG. 6C may correspond to the example embodiment shown in FIG. 5D, amongothers. Room 600 is shown in overhead view, with person 410 located inthe far left corner of the room and person 510 located in the far rightcorner of the room. It may be determined that the camera should onlyinclude person 510, and thus camera adjustments are made to include onlyperson 510 within field of view 620, and thus the camera may zoom in,pan, and/or tilt, among other functions, to include an image of onlyperson 510. Other adjustments, as previously discussed and/or inaddition to those discussed, may be made as well.

In some embodiments, person 410 and person 510 may remain in onelocation within the room; however, in other embodiments, person 410and/or person 510 may move around the room (e.g., stand up, walk, roll achair to another location, etc.). In this embodiment, the movements ofthe people may be tracked and the video adjusted accordingly. In someexamples, tracking movement may be based on user preferences.

In some embodiments, person 410 and person 510 may be participating thesame conference call, but may be located in different rooms and/ordifferent locations within one or more rooms and/or areas. For example,person 410 may be located in room 600 which may be a living room,whereas person 510 may be located in a kitchen. The embodimentspreviously discussed may be equally applicable if the two people arelocated in two different locations and/or areas, among other variations.In one embodiment, if person 410 is speaking, instead of the camerasimply panning to person 410, the system may receive instructions todisplay the image from the camera located in the room with person 410.When person 510 speaks, the system may switch the display to show theimage taken by the camera located in the room with 510. In anotherembodiment, a person may move from room to room, and each cameraassociated with each respective room may pick up the audio and/or videoassociated with the person, and consequently capture, record, and/ortransmit the audio and/or video to the conference call or store theaudio and/or video in memory.

FIG. 7 shows a system 700 for use in automation and/or security systemsin accordance with various aspects of this disclosure. System 700 mayinclude an apparatus 205-b, which may be an example of the controlpanels 105 of FIG. 1 and/or another device. Apparatus 205-b may also bean example of one or more aspects of apparatus 205 of FIGS. 2 and 3and/or device 115 of FIG. 1, such as a camera. In other embodiments,apparatus 205-b may also be an example of camera 605 of FIG. 6. In someembodiments, the terms a control panel and a control device are usedsynonymously.

Apparatus 205-b may also include components for bi-directional voice anddata communications including components for transmitting communicationsand components for receiving communications. For example, apparatus205-b may communicate bi-directionally with one or more of device 115-a,remote storage 135, and/or remote server 145. This bi-directionalcommunication may be direct (e.g., apparatus 205-b communicatingdirectly with remote storage 135) or indirect (e.g., apparatus 205-bcommunicating indirectly with remote server 145 through remote storage135).

In some embodiments, apparatus 205-b may comprise tracking module 745.Tracking module may be enabled to track the movements of a person in alocation before and/or during a video call. In some examples, trackingmodule may be enabled to detect a change in location, a change inmotion, a change in sound (e.g., origination of the sound, Dopplereffect, etc.), identification of an RFID tag located in a differentlocation in the room and/or in the building, biometric identification,crossing over a geo-fence, etc.

Apparatus 205-b may also include a processor 705, and memory 710(including software (SW) 715), an input/output controller 720, a userinterface 725, a transceiver 730, and one or more antennas 735 each ofwhich may communicate—directly or indirectly—with one another (e.g., viaone or more buses 740). The transceiver 730 may communicatebi-directionally—via the one or more antennas 735, wired links, and/orwireless links—with one or more networks or remote devices as describedabove.

For example, the transceiver 730 may communicate bi-directionally withone or more of device 115-a, remote storage 135, and/or remote server145. The transceiver 730 may include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the one or more antennas 735 fortransmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or moreantennas 735. While a control panel or a control device (e.g., 205-b)may include a single antenna 735, the control panel or the controldevice may also have multiple antennas 735 capable of concurrentlytransmitting or receiving multiple wired and/or wireless transmissions.In some embodiments, one element of apparatus 205-b (e.g., one or moreantennas 735, transceiver 730, etc.) may provide a direct connection toa remote server 145 via a direct network link to the Internet via a POP(point of presence). In some embodiments, one element of apparatus 205-b(e.g., one or more antennas 735, transceiver 730, etc.) may provide aconnection using wireless techniques, including digital cellulartelephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) connection,digital satellite data connection, and/or another connection.

The signals associated with system 700 may include wirelesscommunication signals such as radio frequency, electromagnetics, localarea network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network(VPN), wireless network (using 802.11, for example), 345 MHz, Z-WAVE®,cellular network (using 3G and/or LTE, for example), and/or othersignals. The one or more antennas 735 and/or transceiver module 430 mayinclude or be related to, but are not limited to, WWAN (GSM, CDMA, andWCDMA), WLAN (including BLUETOOTH® and Wi-Fi), WMAN (WiMAX), antennasfor mobile communications, antennas for Wireless Personal Area Network(WPAN) applications (including RFID and UWB). In some embodiments, eachantenna 735 may receive signals or information specific and/or exclusiveto itself. In other embodiments, each antenna 735 may receive signals orinformation not specific or exclusive to itself.

In some embodiments, one or more sensors (e.g., motion, proximitysensor, smoke, glass break, door, window, carbon monoxide, heat, sound,and/or another sensor) may connect to some element of system 700 via anetwork using one or more wired and/or wireless connections. These oneor more sensors may provide input related to the systems and methodsdescribed here, including the sub-modules discussed for conferencemodule 215-a.

In some embodiments, the user interface 725 may include an audio device,such as an external speaker system, a microphone, an external displaydevice such as a display screen, and/or an input device (e.g., remotecontrol device interfaced with the user interface 725 directly and/orthrough I/O controller 720).

One or more buses 740 may allow data communication between one or moreelements of apparatus 205-b (e.g., processor 705, memory 710, I/Ocontroller 720, user interface 725, etc.).

The memory 710 may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory(ROM), flash RAM, and/or other types. The memory 710 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software/firmware code 715including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor 705 toperform various functions described in this disclosure. Alternatively,the computer-executable software/firmware code 715 may not be directlyexecutable by the processor 705 but may cause a computer (e.g., whencompiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.Alternatively, the computer-readable, computer-executablesoftware/firmware code 715 may not be directly executable by theprocessor 705 but may be configured to cause a computer (e.g., whencompiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. Theprocessor 705 may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.

In some embodiments, the processor 705 may include, among other things,an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), amicrocontroller, and/or an ASIC, etc.). The memory 710 may contain,among other things, the Basic Input-Output system (BIOS) which maycontrol basic hardware and/or software operation such as the interactionwith peripheral components or devices. For example, the conferencemodule 215-b and/or the tracking module 745 may be stored within thememory 710. Applications resident with system 700 are generally storedon and accessed via a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as ahard disk drive or other storage medium. Additionally, applications canbe in the form of electronic signals modulated in accordance with theapplication and data communication technology when accessed via anetwork interface (e.g., transceiver 730, one or more antennas 735,etc.).

Many other devices and/or subsystems may be connected to one or may beincluded as one or more elements of system 700 (e.g., entertainmentsystem, computing device, remote cameras, wireless key fob, wall mounteduser interface device, cell radio module, battery, alarm siren, doorlock, lighting system, thermostat, home appliance monitor, utilityequipment monitor, and so on). In some embodiments, all of the elementsshown in FIG. 7 need not be present to practice the present systems andmethods. The devices and subsystems can be interconnected in differentways from that shown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, an aspect of someoperation of a system, such as that shown in FIG. 7, may be readilyknown in the art and are not discussed in detail in this application.Code to implement the present disclosure can be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as one or more of memory710 or other memory. The operating system provided on I/O controller 720may be iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, oranother known operating system.

The transceiver 730 may include a modem configured to modulate thepackets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas 735 fortransmission and/or to demodulate packets received from the antennas735. While the apparatus 205-b may include a single antenna 735, theapparatus 205-b may have multiple antennas 735 capable of concurrentlytransmitting and/or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 800 for anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure. For clarity, the method 800 is described below withreference to aspects of one or more of the elements and featuresdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7, among others. In someexamples, a control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor mayexecute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elements ofthe control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor to perform thefunctions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the controlpanel, backend server, device, and/or sensor may perform one or more ofthe functions described below using special-purpose hardware. Theoperations of method 800 may be performed using the conference module215 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and/or 3, among others.

At block 805, the presence of a first person located at a first locationis identified. The camera, such as the audio/visual device previouslydescribed, may be configured to capture images, videos and/or audio of aroom. A person may be identified based at least in part on imageanalysis of one or more parameters. Image analysis may be used to detectat least one of edge, corner, interest point, blob, ridge, shape, color,texture, material, and/or reflectivity in relation to the person, amongother things. In other embodiments, the presence of a person may bedetected by biometric means such as by audio detection, sub-audiodetection (e.g., vibrations), infrared detection, thermal detection, andthe like. The location of the person may be determined by way oftriangulation, GPS tracking (e.g., by detecting the presence of aportable electronic device associated with a person), receivinginformation from a sensor located on the person or in the room,detection of the location of sound and/or movement, etc.

At block 810, a first video is captured related to the first person atthe first location. Once a person is identified as being within thepossible field of view of the camera, the camera may begin recording avideo. In some embodiments, the camera may begin recording before thepresence of a person is detected. In other embodiments, the camera maybegin recording upon detecting the presence of a person in the room, butbefore the person begins making noise and/or is identified. In yetanother embodiment, the camera may begin recording upon detecting theperson has begun making noise (e.g., speaking, singing). The videocaptured may include still images, moving images, and/or an audio feed,among other things. Other information may be captured, identified,and/or determined such as the specific identity of the person, theamount of time the person has been speaking, the amount of time theperson spends in the field of view, some combination, and/or otherinformation.

At block 815, an adjustment of a display of the first video is initiatedbased at least in part on identifying the presence of the first person.The display may be adjusted in one or more ways; for example, the zoomlevel may be adjusted to capture more or less of the person speakingand/or other people in the location. In other embodiments, theresolution, frame rate, white balance, gain, sensitivity (e.g., ISO),focus, metering, brightness, saturation, contrast, highlights, shadows,aperture and f-stop settings, and vibration adjustments may be adjusted,among other features and/or settings. In yet other embodiments, the panand tilt of the camera may additionally and/or alternatively beadjusted.

Thus, the method 800 may provide video conferencing in accordance withat least some of the embodiment discussed above. It should be noted thatthe method 800 is just one implementation and that the operations of themethod 800 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 900 for anautomation and/or security system in accordance with various aspects ofthis disclosure. For clarity, the method 900 is described below withreference to aspects of one or more of the elements and featuresdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7, among others. In someexamples, a control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor mayexecute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elements ofthe control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor to perform thefunctions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the controlpanel, backend server, device, and/or sensor may perform one or more ofthe functions described below using special-purpose hardware. Theoperations of method 900 may be performed using the conference module215 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and/or 3, among others.

At block 905, the first video may be captured upon determining the firstperson is making an audible noise. In some embodiments, thedetermination is made that the first person is speaking, singing,crying, yelling, laughing, some combination, and/or other actions. Thecamera may detect the audible noise by way of a microphone or othersensor coupled to and/or in communication with the camera and/or anothersystem component and/or element.

At block 910, the presence of a second person at a second location isdetermined. In one embodiment, the second location may be a location inthe same room as the first location; for example, two people sitting indifferent locations around a kitchen table or two people sitting indifferent locations in a living room. In other embodiments, the systemmay include multiple cameras in multiple locations, rooms, and/or areas,and may be enabled to combine the two video streams into one call. Forexample, a person may be detected by a first camera in the living roomand a second person may be detected by a second camera located in thekitchen, where both cameras are capturing audio and/or video for asingle call.

At block 915, one or both of the first and/or second people aredetermined to be creating audible noises. In one embodiment, both peoplemay be located in the same room and are speaking at the same time and/orare speaking one after the other. In this example, a single camera andassociated system elements (e.g., microphone, sensors, etc.) may detect,analyze, and process the sound and the videos made by one or both of thepeople. In another embodiment, each person may be located in separaterooms and each respective camera and associated system elements maydetect each respective person is making noise.

At block 920, the display of the first video may be adjusted to includethe first and the second person. In one embodiment, if it is detectedthe first person is speaking, the first video may include both the firstperson and the second person. In another embodiment, if it is detectedthat the first person and the second person both speak during apre-determined time duration (e.g. two seconds pass between the firstand second person speaking), the video may be adjusted to include boththe first and the second person. In such an embodiment, determining thatboth people are speaking within a pre-determined time duration mayindicate both parties are sharing equal speaking time during theconference (e.g., co-presenters), and thus having both on screen isdesired.

Thus, the method 900 may provide video conferencing in accordance withat least some of the embodiments discussed above. It should be notedthat the method 900 is just one implementation and that the operationsof the method 900 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such thatother implementations are possible.

In some examples, aspects from the methods 800 and 900 may be combinedand/or separated. It should be noted that the methods 800 and 900 arejust example implementations, and that the operations of the methods 800and 900 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible.

In some embodiments, the methods, systems, and techniques may be usedfor package detection.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of an apparatus 1005 for use inelectronic communication, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure. In one embodiment, the apparatus 1005 may be an example ofone or more aspects of a control panel 105 and/or an indoor camera(e.g., device 115) described with reference to FIG. 1, among others. Insome embodiments, apparatus 1005 may be an example of a security camerasuch as a doorbell camera, as illustrated by device 115.

The apparatus 1005 may include a receiver module 1010, a packagedetection module 1015, and/or a transmitter module 1020. The apparatus1005 may also be or include a processor. Each of these modules may be incommunication with each other—directly and/or indirectly.

The components of the apparatus 1005 may, individually or collectively,be implemented using one or more application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicablefunctions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed byone or more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integratedcircuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may beused (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), and other Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in anymanner known in the art. The functions of each module may also beimplemented—in whole or in part—with instructions embodied in memoryformatted to be executed by one or more general and/orapplication-specific processors.

The receiver module 1010 may receive information such as packets, userdata, and/or control information associated with various informationchannels (e.g., control channels, data channels, etc.). The receivermodule 1010 may be configured to receive data and/or control informationfrom another device such as a control panel, sensor, and/or a camera.Information may be passed on to the package detection module 1015, andto other components of the apparatus 1005.

Package detection module 1015 enables a method for package detection inconjunction with a security and/or automation system. Upon receiving oneor more images and/or videos at the receiver module 1010, packagedetection module 1015 performs image analysis based at least in part onthe one or more images and/or videos to detect a package and/or otherfeature. Upon detecting a package and/or other feature, the packagedetection module 1015 monitors the package and determines whether aperson that is delivering, moving, and/or removing the detected packageis authorized to do so. The apparatus 1005 may perform various functionsbased on this analysis and/or determination.

The transmitter module 1020 may transmit the one or more signalsreceived from other components of the apparatus 1005. The transmittermodule 1020 may transmit data and/or controls signals to a control paneland/or sensor associated with the security and/or automation system. Thedata and/or control signals transmitted by the transmitter module 1020may be associated with the image/video analysis and package/featuredetection performed by the package detection module 1015. In someexamples, the transmitter module 1020 may be co-located with thereceiver module 1010 in a transceiver module.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1000 of an apparatus 1005-a for use inwireless communication, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure. The apparatus 1005-a may be an example of one or moreaspects of a control panel 105 and/or a device 115 described withreference to FIG. 1, among others. It may also be an example of anapparatus 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10. The apparatus 1005-amay include a receiver module 1010-a, a package detection module 1015-a,and/or a transmitter module 1020-a, which may be examples of thecorresponding modules of apparatus 1005. The apparatus 1005-a may alsoinclude a processor. Each of these components may be in communicationwith each other. The package detection module 1015-a may include imagingsub-module 1105, analysis sub-module 1110, object identificationsub-module 1115, and probability sub-module 1120. The receiver module1010-a and the transmitter module 1020-a may perform the functions ofthe receiver module 1010 and the transmitter module 1020, of FIG. 10,respectively.

In one embodiment, imaging sub-module 1105 may identify image data froma signal. The image data may include at least one of photo data andvideo data. In some cases, the image data may include data capturedwithin an electromagnetic spectrum such as the visual spectrum, infraredspectrum, etc. For example, imaging sub-module 1105 may capturereal-time views from a camera sensor of a camera and capture image datafrom the captured images. For example, the imaging sub-module 1105 maycapture images from a security camera such as a doorbell camera or othertype of camera located at a home, an office, and/or other type ofbuilding.

In one embodiment, analysis sub-module 1110 may analyze the image databased at least in part on a first parameter. The first parameter mayinclude image analysis data to detect at least one of shape, color,texture, material, and/or reflectivity of the image data, among otherthings. For example, analysis sub-module 1110 may perform image analysison the image data to detect distinguishable features. In some cases,analysis sub-module 1110 may examine one or more pixels of an image todetermine whether the one or more pixels includes a feature of interest.In some embodiments, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect a face, head,torso, arms, and/or legs of a user in an image. In some embodiments,analysis sub-module 1110 may detect features of the user's head and/orface. In some embodiments, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect an edge,corner, interest point, blob, and/or ridge in a captured image. An edgemay be points of an image where there is a boundary (or an edge) betweentwo image regions, or a set of points in the image which have arelatively strong gradient magnitude. Corners and interest points may beused interchangeably. For example, analysis sub-module 1110 may detectan edge and/or corner of a box or package. The box or package may bedetected on a surface or being carried by a person such as a deliveryperson. An interest point may refer to a point-like feature in an image,which has a local two dimensional structure. In some embodiments, theanalysis sub-module 1110 may search for relatively high levels ofcurvature in an image gradient to detect an interest point and/or corner(e.g., corner of an eye, corner of a mouth). Thus, the analysissub-module 1110 may detect in an image of a user's face the corners ofthe eyes, eye centers, pupils, eye brows, point of the nose, nostrils,corners of the mouth, lips, center of the mouth, chin, ears, forehead,cheeks, and the like. A blob may include a complementary description ofimage structures in terms of regions, as opposed to corners that may bepoint-like in comparison. Thus, in some embodiments, the analysissub-module 1110 may detect a smooth, non-point-like area (i.e., blob) inan image.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some embodiments, the analysissub-module 1110 may detect a ridge of points in the image. In someembodiments, the analysis sub-module 1110 may extract a local imagepatch around a detected feature in order to track the feature in otherimages such as previously and/or subsequently captured images.Accordingly, the first parameter may include at least one of edge,corner, interest point, blob, ridge, shape, color, texture, material,and/or reflectivity of the image data. In some cases, the firstparameter may include a logo, icon, and/or symbol. For example, in someembodiments, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect a logo of a shippingcompany. In some cases, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect a shape suchas a logo on a surface of a box or package. Additionally, oralternatively, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect a logo on a uniform.

In one example, analysis sub-module 1110 may detect a UPS® logo on thesurface of a package left on a porch, a logo on a uniform of a UPS®delivery person, and/or a logo on a UPS® delivery truck. This detectionand related analysis may be performed based at least in part on acommunication referencing a remote source having a repository ofinformation such as shapes, logos, colors, tracking numbers, QR codes,bar codes, etc. In some cases, analysis sub-module 1110 may analyze theimage data based at least in part on a second parameter. Thus, as oneexample, analysis sub-module 1110 may analyze a detected featureassociated with a delivery person, uniform or truck as a first parameter(e.g., facial recognition, logo, etc.), and may analyze a detectedfeature associated with a package as a second parameter (e.g., edge,corner, color, shape, size, logo, etc.). In one embodiment, analysissub-module 1110 may analyze at least one subset of the image data.

In some cases, object identification sub-module 1115 may identify apresence of an object based at least in part on the analyzing a capturedimage to identify image data. For example, based on the detection of anedge, corner, shape, size, and/or logo in a captured image, for example,object identification sub-module 1115 may identify the presence of acertain object such as a box or package, a delivery person, and/or adelivery truck. Accordingly, in some cases, the image data may includemotion detection data based at least in part on a motion of the detectedobject, and/or the image data may include facial recognition data. Insome cases, the image data may include a first set of image data and asecond set of image data. The second set of image data may be visualdata captured and/or detected after the first set of image data iscaptured and/or detected. Alternatively, the second set of image datamay be visual data captured and/or detected as a subset of a first setof image data.

In some embodiments, analysis sub-module 1110 may compare at least aportion of an earlier set of image data with at least a portion of alater set of image data. For example, in conjunction with a packagedelivery, analysis sub-module 1110 may compare an image of an area of apatio before a package is placed within the area and after the packageis placed within the area. Similar for a package pickup, analysissub-module 1110 may compare an image of an area of a patio before thepackage, placed in the area of the patio, is retrieved and after thepackage is retrieved. In some cases, analysis sub-module 1110 may queryan online database to verify a time of delivery and/or pickup. Forexample, package detection module 1015 may be configured to expect apackage delivery and/or package pickup. Accordingly, analysis sub-module1110 may query an online database associated with a delivery servicesuch UPS®, FEDEX®, DHL®, a user's email, etc. Thus, upon detecting apackage delivery and/or pickup, analysis sub-module 1110 may query theonline database to determine the status of the delivery or pickup. Asone example, analysis sub-module 1110 may query the database anddetermine that the delivery time of a package is at 3:00 P.M. Theanalysis sub-module 1110 may then determine that the analysis of theimage data indicates that a package was detected within a predeterminedrange of the delivery time indicated by the online database (e.g.,within 5 minutes). Accordingly, analysis sub-module 1110 may confirmthat the detected package is associated with the expected delivery.

In one embodiment, package detection module 1015 may be configured touse at least some of the aspects and/or elements describes with relationto the digital zoom conference methods and systems. For example, in oneembodiment, the package detection module 1015 may be enabled to captureimages by receiving user-input to pan, tilt, and/or zoom in onidentification information. In other embodiments, the package detectionmodule 1015 may be pre-programmed to zoom in on identifying information.

In another embodiment, the analysis sub-module 1110 may initiallyidentify image data. Based at least in part on the image dataidentified, a camera may receive instructions to zoom in on a part ofthe package and send the data to a remote computer system. For example,if a user is waiting for a particular package, and knows the box coloris navy blue, the analysis sub-module may identify the image dataincludes a blue package and may then zoom in on identifying information.Images and image data may be sent to at least one of the peopleparticipating of the video conference (e.g., as a picture-in-picture orpop-up window) to show an image of the package.

In one embodiment, probability sub-module 1120 may assess a probabilityof an object event based at least in part on the identifying a presenceof an object. In some cases, probability sub-module 1120 may assess aprobability of an object event based on the identifying a presence of anobject satisfying a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments,probability sub-module 1120 may assess a first probability of the objectevent based at least in part on analyzing the image data based at leastin part on a first parameter. Additionally, or alternatively,probability sub-module 1120 may assess a second probability of theobject event based at least in part on analyzing the image data based atleast in part on a second parameter. In one embodiment, probabilitysub-module 1120 may extract features such as lines, shapes, colorsegments, OCR texts, deformed parts, etc., from one or more sampledframes (images) from one or more photos and/or video.

Probability sub-module 1120 may make the extract features part of aBayesian network. Probability sub-module 1120 may then compute, forexample, the probability of a person with a package present in an imageusing a Monte Carlo Markov Chain algorithm (MCMC). Additionally, oralternatively, probability sub-module 1120 may use a Recursive BayesFilter to combine probabilities from each sample and compute a jointprobability, potentially increasing the accuracy of the probability. Insome cases, probability sub-module 1120 may incorporate moving patternsin the computation of probability. For example, probability sub-module1120 may detect movement of a package from one image to the next.

Probability sub-module 1120 may be included in a computing device suchas a desktop or laptop, an automation/security control panel, a remoteserver, and/or a sensor such as a doorbell camera. The probabilitysub-module 1120 may compute a probability at a sensor, on a computingdevice, at a control panel, using a network connection, and/or on aremote server. The imaging sub-module 1105 may capture one or moreimages of an object. The analysis sub-module 1110 may perform imageanalysis on the one or more captured images, and the objectidentification sub-module 1115 may identify the object in the one ormore captured images. The probability sub-module 1120 may then compute aprobability that the identified object is a package for delivery and/orpickup, and/or a person or other identifier associated with a delivery,pickup, and/or event. A processor may execute software code inconjunction with the probability sub-module 1120 to compute aprobability that an object in a captured image is a package. A storagemedium and/or memory may store the software code.

Factors that may affect the probability include the availability ofimage analysis data to detect shape, color, texture, material, and/orreflectivity of the image data, among others. In some cases, probabilitymay depend on the ability of the probability sub-module 1120 to detectan edge, corner, interest point, blob, and/or ridge in a captured image.In some embodiments, a user may provide feedback in relation to aprobability assessment made by the probability sub-module 1120. The usermay indicate whether the probability was accurate or not.

For example, the user may verify that the object identified by theobject identification sub-module 1115 and assessed to be a package bythe probability sub-module 1120 was indeed a package, a person, etc. Theprobability sub-module 1120 may use the user's feedback to adjust acalculation of a probability. Accordingly, the probability sub-module1120 may learn whether its probability is accurate. In some cases, theprobability sub-module 1120 may reassess or reanalyze information toupdate and/or modify a probability and/or assessment that an objectevent occurred. For example, the probability sub-module 1120 may receiveinformation indicating a delivery confirmation. Accordingly, theprobability sub-module 1120 may reassess the probability that theidentified object is a package, increasing or decreasing the calculatedprobability.

Turning again to FIG. 7, apparatus 205-b may also include a notificationmodule 750. In one embodiment, notification module 750 may send anotification to a user based at least in part on probability sub-module1120 assessing a probability of an object event occurring. For example,notification module 750 may send one or more notifications to one ormore users based at least in part on whether the assessed probabilityexceeds a predetermined probability threshold. In some cases, theprobability threshold may be determined in relation to sensorcalibration, sensor sensitivity, user preference, past probabilitycalculations, probability feedback loops, image quality, systemlimitations, etc. Upon determining the probability exceeds thepredetermined probability threshold, the notification module 750 maygenerate a notification. In some cases, the notification may include atext message, an email, a computer generated phone call and/orvoicemail, and the like. In some cases, notification module 750 maygenerate a notification in association with an automation/securitysystem. For example, notification module 750 may generate an audionotification such as a chime and/or a computer-generated voiceannouncement that is played at a control panel and/or using one or morespeakers of the automation/security system. In some cases, notificationmodule 750 may generate an alarm upon certain object events beingdetected. For example, upon the package detection module 1015 detectinga package delivery, notification module 750 may generate an alarm (e.g.,via a siren, light, etc.) when the delivered package is detected asbeing moved or picked up. As one example, package detection module 1015may determine whether a person approaching a delivered package is knownor unknown, authorized or unauthorized, etc. For instance, packagedetection module 1015 may use facial recognition, voice recognition,pattern detection/learning, device identification (e.g., detecting anidentifier associated with a device carried by a user), etc., todetermine whether a person approaching a delivered package is known orunknown. Upon determining the person is unknown and detecting theunknown person taking the package, notification module 750 may sound analarm. Similarly, package detection module 1015 may monitor a packageleft outside a premises for pickup to determine whether the package istaken by an authorized delivery person or not. A person may bedetermined to be authorized to interact with the package based ondetection of a uniform, delivery truck, company logo, badge oridentification, barcode, etc. In some cases, authorization may bedetermined based on facial recognition, passcode query, and the like.For example, a user approaching the package may be prompted to provide aspoken code or a bade bar code in order to authorize interaction withthe package. For example, package detection module 1015 may beconfigured to detect a specified delivery service for delivery orpickup, such as UPS®, FEDEX®, DHL®, etc. Accordingly, package detectionmodule 1015 may determine whether the person is wearing a uniform of theexpected delivery service, whether the delivery truck is from theexpected delivery service, etc. Upon determining a package left forpickup is being taken by an unauthorized person, notification module 750may sound an alarm.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1200 forsecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure. For clarity, the method 1200 is described below withreference to aspects of one or more of the elements and featuresdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1, 10, and/or 11, among others. Insome examples, one or more control panels, backend servers, devices,and/or sensors may execute one or more sets of codes to control thefunctional elements of the control panels, backend servers, devices,and/or sensors to perform the functions described below. Additionally oralternatively, the control panels, backend servers, devices, and/orsensors may perform one or more of the functions described below usingspecial-purpose hardware. The operations of the method 1200 may beperformed using the package detection module 1015 described withreference to FIGS. 10-11.

At block 1205, image data may be identified from a signal. The imagedata may include at least one of photo data and video data, motiondetection data based at least in part on a motion of the object, and/orfacial recognition data, among other things. At block 1210, the imagedata may be analyzed based at least in part on a first parameter. Thefirst parameter may include image analysis features (e.g., edgedetection, corners, blobs, etc.) to detect at least one of shape, color,texture, material, reflectivity of the image data, etc. In some cases,the analysis may include comparing at least a portion of an earlier setof image data with at least a portion of a later set of image data.

At block 1215, a presence of an object may be identified based at leastin part on the analyzing. Presence of an object may be detected bydetection of an edge, corner, interest point, blob, ridge, shape, color,texture, material, and/or reflectivity relative to the object, amongother things. In some cases, the presence of the object may continue tobe monitored to determine whether the object remains at the spot whereit was initially detected. The continual monitoring may occur viacontinuous, intermittent, and/or interval detection of an edge, corner,interest point, blob, ridge, shape, color, texture, material, and/orreflectivity relative to the object. At block 1220, detect an objectevent based at least in part on the identifying.

Thus, the method 1200 may provide for doorbell camera package detectionrelating to automation/security systems. It should be noted that themethod 1200 is just one implementation and that the operations of themethod 1200 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1300 forsecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure. For clarity, the method 1300 is described below withreference to aspects of one or more of the elements and featuresdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1, 10, and/or 11, among others. Insome examples, a control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensormay execute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elementsof the control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor to performthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor may perform one ormore of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.The operations of block 1305 may be performed using the packagedetection module 1015 described with reference to FIGS. 10-11.

At block 1305, one or more images of an object at a premises may becaptured via a camera. At block 1310, image analysis may be performed onthe one or more captured images. In some cases, the analysis may includecomparing two or more images captured over a certain time, motiondetection, facial recognition, symbol recognition such as detection of alogo of a delivery service, detecting points of interest and trackingthem from image to image via cross-correlation, etc. At block 1315, theobject may be identified as a package based on the image analysis. Thepackage may be associated with a package delivery or a package pickup.

At block 1320, the package may be monitored for unauthorizedinteraction. In some cases, further image analysis may be performed todetermine whether a person detected as approaching a package scheduledfor pickup is an authorized delivery person of the delivery serviceassociated with the scheduled package pickup. In some cases, themonitoring may include identifying a logo on a uniform, anidentification badge, a delivery truck, etc. In some cases, the deliveryperson may display a badge to a camera. For example, upon detecting aperson approaching the package, the package detection module 1015 mayprovide a computer generated or pre-recorded voice prompt that requeststhe delivery person to display his or her identification card to thecamera situated near the package (e.g., a doorbell camera situated atthe front door of the premises). In some cases, the package detectionmodule 1015 may query an online database to confirm the tracking statusof a package (e.g., “delivered,” “delivery pending,” “out for delivery,”“pickup pending,” “picked up,” etc.). Upon confirming the packagedelivery and/or package pickup, the notification module 750 may generatea notification. Likewise, upon detecting unauthorized interaction withthe package (e.g., someone taking the package), the notification module445 may generate a notification and/or sound an alarm.

Thus, the method 1300 may provide for doorbell camera package detectionrelating to automation/security systems. It should be noted that themethod 1300 is just one implementation and that the operations of themethod 1300 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 1400 forsecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure. For clarity, the method 1400 is described below withreference to aspects of one or more of the elements and featuresdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1, 10, and/or 11, among others. Insome examples, a control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensormay execute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elementsof the control panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor to performthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol panel, backend server, device, and/or sensor may perform one ormore of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.The operations of block 1405 may be performed using the packagedetection module 1015 described with reference to FIGS. 10-11.

At block 1405, two or more images and/or videos may be captured of anarea of a premises to be used as a first set and a second set of imagedata. The camera, such as a doorbell camera, may be configured tocaptured images and/or videos of one or more areas of the premises. Atleast a portion of a first set of image data may be compared with atleast a portion of a second set of image data. In some cases, the firstset of image data may have been captured before the second set of imagedata. For example, an earlier captured image may be compared to a latercaptured image to detect a change between the captured images. Thechange may indicate the presence of an object within the view of thedoorbell camera. At block 1410, an object may be identified in an imageand/or video based at least in part on image analysis of one or moreparameters. Image analysis may be used to detect at least one of edge,corner, interest point, blob, ridge, shape, color, texture, material,and/or reflectivity in relation to the identified object, among otherthings. At block 1415, a probability of an object event may be assessedbased at least in part on the image analysis based at least in part onthe one or more parameters. The object event may include delivery of apackage, pickup of a package, movement of a package, a person carrying apackage, etc. At block 1420, a notification may be sent to a user basedat least in part on the assessing of the probability. In some cases, anotification may be sent based at least in part on whether theprobability exceeds a predetermined probability threshold.

Thus, the method 1400 may provide for doorbell camera package detectionrelating to automation/security systems. It should be noted that themethod 1400 is just one implementation and that the operations of themethod 1400 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible.

In some examples, aspects from the methods 1200, 1300, and 1400 may becombined and/or separated. It should be noted that the methods 1200,1300, and 1400 are just example implementations, and that the operationsof the methods 1200, 1300, and 1400 may be rearranged or otherwisemodified such that other implementations are possible.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appendeddrawings describes examples and does not represent the only instancesthat may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. Theterms “example” and “exemplary,” when used in this description, mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred”or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of thedescribed techniques. These techniques, however, may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, known structures andapparatuses are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concepts of the described examples.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety ofdifferent technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions,commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may bereferenced throughout the above description may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connectionwith this disclosure may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, anFPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processormay be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may beany conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, and/or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor,multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, and/or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example,due to the nature of software, functions described above can beimplemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware,hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementingfunctions may also be physically located at various positions, includingbeing distributed such that portions of functions are implemented atdifferent physical locations.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (forexample, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of”or “one or more of”) indicates a disjunctive list such that, forexample, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or ABor AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

In addition, any disclosure of components contained within othercomponents or separate from other components should be consideredexemplary because multiple other architectures may potentially beimplemented to achieve the same functionality, including incorporatingall, most, and/or some elements as part of one or more unitarystructures and/or separate structures.

Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be anyavailable medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory,CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tocarry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions ordata structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable aperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examplesand designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features disclosed.

This disclosure may specifically apply to security system applications.This disclosure may specifically apply to automation systemapplications. In some embodiments, the concepts, the technicaldescriptions, the features, the methods, the ideas, and/or thedescriptions may specifically apply to security and/or automation systemapplications. Distinct advantages of such systems for these specificapplications are apparent from this disclosure.

The process parameters, actions, and steps described and/or illustratedin this disclosure are given by way of example only and can be varied asdesired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described maybe shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do notnecessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed.The various exemplary methods described and/or illustrated here may alsoomit one or more of the steps described or illustrated here or includeadditional steps in addition to those disclosed.

Furthermore, while various embodiments have been described and/orillustrated here in the context of fully functional computing systems,one or more of these exemplary embodiments may be distributed as aprogram product in a variety of forms, regardless of the particular typeof computer-readable media used to actually carry out the distribution.The embodiments disclosed herein may also be implemented using softwaremodules that perform certain tasks. These software modules may includescript, batch, or other executable files that may be stored on acomputer-readable storage medium or in a computing system. In someembodiments, these software modules may permit and/or instruct acomputing system to perform one or more of the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed here.

This description, for purposes of explanation, has been described withreference to specific embodiments. The illustrative discussions above,however, are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the present systemsand methods to the precise forms discussed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodimentswere chosen and described in order to explain the principles of thepresent systems and methods and their practical applications, to enableothers skilled in the art to utilize the present systems, apparatus, andmethods and various embodiments with various modifications as may besuited to the particular use contemplated.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method for automation and/or security systems,comprising: identifying a presence of a first person at a firstlocation; capturing a first video related to the first person at thefirst location; determining an identity of the first person; andinitiating an adjustment of a display of the first video based at leastin part on the identity of the first person and the presence of thefirst person at the first location.
 22. The method of claim 21, whereindetermining the identity of the first person comprises: receiving dataassociated with the first person; and comparing the data to one or moreuser profiles, wherein determining the identity of the first person isbased at least in part on the comparison.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein the data associated with the first person comprises a voiceprint, facial recognition information, one or more physical features,biometric information, or any combination thereof.
 24. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the data associated with the first person comprisesinformation of a card associated with the first person, a personalidentification number, information indicating that a device of the firstperson is detected at the first location, or any combination thereof.25. The method of claim 21, wherein the adjustment of the display isinitiated in accordance with one or more parameters of a userpreference, the user preference being associated with the identity ofthe first person.
 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:tracking a movement of the first person from the first location to asecond location, wherein initiating the adjustment of the display of thefirst video is based at least in part on tracking the movement.
 27. Themethod of claim 26, wherein the first location is within a same room asthe second location.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the firstlocation is within a different room as the second location.
 29. Themethod of claim 26, further comprising: displaying a second video at thesecond location based at least in part on tracking the movement of thefirst person from the first location to the second location.
 30. Themethod of claim 21, wherein identifying the presence of the first personfurther comprises identifying the first person is located within anindoor room.
 31. The method of claim 21, wherein adjusting the displayof the first video further comprises adjusting the display of the firstvideo occurs during a video call.
 32. The method of claim 21, whereinadjusting the display of the first video further comprises adjusting adigital zoom level of the first video such that an image of the firstperson comprises a pre-determined percentage of an area of the display.33. The method of claim 32, wherein adjusting the digital zoom levelfurther comprises scaling the image of the first person using aninterpolation algorithm.
 34. The method of claim 21, wherein adjustingthe display of the first video further comprises: receiving dataindicating a quality of the first video; and wherein initiating theadjustment of the display further comprises adjusting the quality of thefirst video.
 35. The method of claim 21, further comprising: comparing afirst portion of the first video and a second portion of the firstvideo; determining that a section of the first video is backlit based atleast in part on the comparing; wherein initiating the adjustmentcomprises adjusting a focus on the first person based at least in parton the determining the section of the first video is backlit.
 36. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: wherein capturing the firstvideo related to the first person comprises: capturing the first videoupon determining the first person is creating an audible noise; andidentifying a second presence of a second person at a second location.37. The method of claim 36, further comprising: determining the firstperson and/or the second person is creating the audible noise; andadjusting the display of the first video to include the first person andthe second person.
 38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:determining that the second person is creating the audible noise; andadjusting the display of the first video to include an image of thesecond person.
 39. An apparatus for security and/or automation systems,comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructionscausing the processor to: identify a presence of a first person at afirst location; capture a first video related to the first person at thefirst location; determine an identity of the first person; and initiatean adjustment of a display of the first video based at least in part onthe identity of the first person and the presence of the first person atthe first location.
 40. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring code, the code comprising instructions executable to: identify apresence of a first person at a first location; capture a first videorelated to the first person at the first location; determine an identityof the first person; and initiate an adjustment of a display of thefirst video based at least in part on the identity of the first personand the presence of the first person at the first location.